Bright Memory: Infinite is a fun experience, yes, but a brief and inconsistent one.
Making a video game is no easy task. As for movies, gaming is a collaborative medium. Therefore, when a single person can achieve a game on par with AAA productions, in terms of visuals and gameplay, it is often something to be celebrated. Such is the case with Bright Memory, a game that impacted the indie landscape in 2019. Yes, it was only 40 minutes long, but the early access game we were given was a technical feat that passed for an actual AAA game.
Now in 2021, we got Bright Memory: Infinite, a total remake of the original game, which only preserves names and overall feel but reworks the game from the ground up and tries to produce a more robust gaming experience. Did it achieve its goal? Kind of. Let’s see why.
Bright Memory: Infinite, not related to Halo Infinite in the slightest, is an FPS sci-fantasy action game with melee elements. The original Bright Memory took heavy inspiration from the likes of Devil May Cry, with its rating system, and Dark Souls, with constant references and the overall ambiance, but the remake, Infinite, is more of its own thing now, and that’s a welcome addition to the game itself. Now, for the setting and some context, well, there is none.
At least within the game. In pure souls-like fashion, lore is not something to be explained, and the only place you can get some information on what you are doing and why is in the game synopsis. Long story short, you are part of an organization in charge of dealing with supernatural stuff.
Shelia, the protagonist and the controllable character, is part of the Science Research Organization and is tasked to prevent a rival military organization, the SAI, from acquiring a legendary ancient power that can reawaken the dead. But that is barely important; the relevant part of the game is its core mechanics.
As an FPs, the gunplay is rather interesting and satisfying. Not only do you shoot your enemies, but you can also attack them with melee using a blade that, oddly enough, can shoot, for lack of a better term, energy projections of itself onto the enemies. Thus, you don’t need to be right in front of them to attack with your blade, but the energy beam has limited range, so you still need to use your firearms. This creates a dynamic combat system open for a lot of combos.
Paying homage to its Devil May Cry inspirations, you can also make use of energy-based repulsion, propulsion, and keep your enemies in place via an electromagnetic pulse. So you can juggle your enemies and either empty your chargers on them or slash them to shreds.
The game is rather straightforward. If the original game lasted only 40 minutes, Infinite can be finished in about an hour and a half. And although most of the game experience is pretty decent, there is a mandatory stealth section in a game that is not built for stealth. This section is rather linear, boring, and frustrating because of the instant failure upon detection trope. Not only that, but the game also has unskippable cutscenes that make little for its replay value.
Bosses are great visually, and they take inspiration from Eastern mythology. In their scale and composition, they remind you of Dark Souls or Nioh enemies. However, gameplay-wise, they are pretty uninspiring and can be dodged and dealt with rather easily. So, there is potential there, albeit unexplored.
Unfortunately, there is not that much to say about the game, as there is not much of a game, to begin with. Even with double the time of the original game, the experience just falls flat on its face. The game tries to improve upon its past mistakes and shows glimpses of potential and inspired game design, but the fact that the result is still a lackluster game, visually impressive, yes, but underwhelming in the end, tells a lot about the industry itself. You can be a rising star in video game programming, but you still need a team if you want to leave your mark in the industry and deliver an enjoyable product.
Bright Memory: Infinite is a fun experience, yes, but a brief and inconsistent one. The stealth segment is completely unnecessary. Understandably, one wants to diversify the game experience and provide nuance, to shake things up for the player. However, when your game is less than an hour and a half long, this is rather unnecessary as it completely breaks the pace of what is enjoyable gunplay. Bright Memory: Infinite is a fun experiment, yes, but it feels more like a tech demo or a mere example of what could be achieved if the right resources and manpower were invested into its development.
Also, check out the Bright Memory: Infinite PC review at NoobFeed.
